


Blind Emboss

by This is Underwhelming at Best (Sangatsu)



Series: Audience Duplication [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, M/M, kinda ot3 i guess, some kbdn, some kbnz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23510485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangatsu/pseuds/This%20is%20Underwhelming%20at%20Best
Summary: Yes, please smoke in the designated area
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Nezu | Piers
Series: Audience Duplication [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1661776
Kudos: 29





	Blind Emboss

Raihan forgets his Liverpool cup is still there, untouched in the pantry’s overhead cabinet. That explains the unsurprising disappearance of Piers’ I Survived Another Meeting That Should Have Been an Email mug and thus, spares him a cup of coffee from the pantry's coffee machine. Really, everything is a blessing in disguise, if you squint hard enough.

So his inability to refuse Leon’s yet another invitation must be another one of that too.

After five minutes of Piers' summary of the briefing he gave for the interns, Leon nods and takes a deep drag from his cigarette. “I can assign Gordie and Opal to mentor them. They told me they want to do it.”

Piers wonders what did Bea say to Leon to prevent him from ever dragging her to the rooftop to have mindless work chats over marlboros. Or what did Kabu say. Or Nanu. Or Nessa.

Marnie did say he should always let the cashier know if his change is fifty cents short.

“Thank you. I was not up to taking care of four kids by myself.” Too harsh. “Glad to see I have some… backup.” Better.

Ash from Leon’s stalk falls onto the concrete floor as he slowly exhales through his nose. He stares at rows of buildings surrounding their workplace with narrowed eyes. He puts on the look he always has when someone says ‘it’s been three days and I cannot reach my writer/illustrator, what nonviolent measure should I do?’ before then telling them to knock on their door with an axe, which means the editor in chief himself would call or leave  _ nonviolent _ voicemails on their phone.

“Or Raihan.”

“Sure?”

“Kids like him, he knows how to handle them. We did this CSR in which we visited and donated to an orphanage. They climbed him like a tree and he cried just as hard as them when we had to leave.”

It’s hard to tell if Leon is joking or not. Even when he’s leaving those voicemails, he still sounds like he’s asking them about the picnic they’re going to have in two days and if he should make potato salad. Listening to him telling Piers he's doing a good job is often unnerving. 

“These interns are twenty years old.” Piers pauses. “And they will leave in four months.”

“Don’t you want to see him cry at least once?”

Yes. “Even if I do, four months is kind of too long.”

"Yeah and he may already have someone else's sandwich and pudding to steal, dampening your thirst for revenge." Leon throws his stalk onto the ground and steps on it. "Or making you want more now that another soul is suffering."

Piers just stares. Then he remembers Leon is also a victim of Raihan's drink vessel and lunch thievery. "Is that possible? Making him attached to the kids for a while then force them to split apart?"

"The longer the better." Leon gives him a wink and finger gun.

If Raihan will indeed mentor those kids, Piers will need to warn his sister to not like him too much. She did well with their first pet Moppy. This should be easier now that it's a human instead of a goldfish.

Honestly this is okay. He needs to be under the sun more anyway. Fresh air is good. Maybe he gets used to it already. Every drag Piers takes is better than sipping shitty, sour coffee and a half proper meal from the convenience store. Or it’s just Stockholm syndrome but that's still better than the coffee.  And getting friendly with your bosses, supervisors, teachers, or lecturers will always do you good.

They still have thirty more minutes. Leon asks if he wants to share spicy wings which he orders by delivery app for lunch.

"Can I have iced coffee please?"

"Milk?"

"No."

"If you just want coffee we have some in the pantry."

"Someone borrowed my mug and I fucking hate our coffee."

Leon pockets his phone and puts another stick between his lips. "Ah me too." Without explaining if he meant the mug or coffee, he says, "About your missing cup, let me tell you some dirt about the dude responsible." Piers bites on his filter.

"During college, he told everyone to call him Roy," Leon grins as Piers tries not to choke on smoke and spit, "he put that name everywhere, on his coffee, pizza order, his  _ football uniform _ . Guy thought it was a cool name."

"Not so much now," Piers says with a small smile.

"Say that name in front of his face and enjoy as part of his soul leaves his body." Leon smirks. "Though more defense mechanisms need to be done so he stops bothering you."

"I can think of better waste of time"

"Speaking from my experience, see if you can find out what the fuck is he up to, maybe it's not just your salad he's after."


End file.
